Radioactive
by jakers75
Summary: After failing to connect with the rest of the crew, a lonely Millburn is confronted with a puzzling Fifield and forced to rethink who the geologist truly is and what his intentions are. Rated T for brief language.


_**I don't really know where I'm going with this, haha. I have some ideas to continue this, but we'll see. If you like/dislike anything, let me know! Insert a mandatory disclaimer about nothing belonging to me, and with that said, enjoy! Thanks for reading!**_

**:: ::**

Millburn sighed as he finished unpacking his plant from the bio-chamber. Like everything else in the ship, it had remained intact during the long voyage, but it felt…different. Just knowing that he was millions of miles away from home changed things. It had been one thing to imagine himself separated from his friends and family, but it was another to actually _be_ separated. Hell, every single one of them could be gone and he would ever know.

Even the plant seemed to droop a little, as if commiserating with him.

"It's alright," he murmured to the plant, turning around to look over the small room. His bags were mostly unpacked, but his roommate's, Fifield's, still lay in a neat pile on the foot of his own bed. He had tried to talk to the geologist at breakfast, but that…hadn't worked out well. He had turned out to be an ass. After that, Millburn only had the courage to engage in small talk with a couple of other people. Although they had traveled together for months (granted, they had been unconscious the entire time), none of them really knew each other. Some of them had grouped together right away, but as people tentatively grouped together, Millburn had been left out. He had the feeling everyone regarded him as unqualified to be part of this expedition.

Oh well. That would just mean he'd have to prove them wrong. Maybe after a nap, though. A nap sounded good. He tore his attention away from the plant and onto the warm, clean bed without even bothering to slip under the covers. If he closed his eyes, it felt enough like home.

**:: ::**

_Thump thump._

Millburn moaned a little into his pillow. It was too early for this shit.

Wait.

He realized it wasn't early. And he wasn't home. He was in the Prometheus. And someone was in the room.

Millburn sat up quickly, looking around for the source of the noise. The subsequent sight was both reassuring and annoying: Fifield.

Dammit.

The tattooed man looked over from the spot where he was unpacking his own baggage. "You're finally up. You missed dinner."

"Really?" Millburn frowned. Although breakfast hadn't gone spectacularly, he _had_ been looking forward to a second chance later.

"Yup. Personally, I don't get how you can sleep when that's all that we've been doing for months, but whatever." Fifield returned to his bags as he spoke.

"I was tired, that's all," Millburn replied, not caring whether or not he sounded as defensive as he felt. He stood up, furrowing his eyebrows briefly in confusion at the blanket that fell off him. He didn't remember getting a blanket. Figuring the long flight must've messed with his memory a bit, he shook his head and walked towards the door.

"Don't touch my stuff," he paused, stopping

"Where're you going?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Cause if you're goin' out for dinner, it's already here."

"Really?" Millburn looked at Fifield suspiciously.

"Shaw brought it over when you were busy sleeping." Fifield shrugged.

"Alright. Where is it then? I'm starving."

"It's in the fridge."

"Huh?"

Fifield sighed and jerked his head in the direction of his things. Sure enough, a long mini-fridge had made its residence near an outlet in the wall amongst the piles of clothes and bags.

"You brought your own fridge with you?"

"And _you_ brought your own plants with you?"

"Touché. I maintain that at least the plants are sentient, though." Millburn walked towards the fridge, vaguely uneasy about going into Fifield's space, but if they were going to be roommates, he had to get over that. Right?

He hadn't been lying, at least. When Millburn opened the door, he did indeed see his dinner located in a plastic container. There wasn't a drink to go along with it, but at this point, he was starving and didn't care. Pulling back, he closed the door with satisfaction and turned around, only to almost bowl over the geologist.

Fifield now stood before him. His hands were on his hips and he was smirking a little. Millburn's stomach knotted uncomfortably.

"Yeah?" he finally managed to get out after a minute.

"Did I say you could go through my stuff?"

"No, but you implied it."

"How so?" Fifield's lips, framed by red stubble, turned upward in a sly grin.

_Not. You're not going to let this happen here!_

Millburn took a deep breath before responding again. "You just did. And if…" His attempt at being assertive trailed off into a vague nothing as the other man raised his eyebrows. Even though the geologist was in his business and making Millburn more than slightly uncomfortable, it was…difficult to deny that there was some sort of appeal about him.

"If what?"

"If we're going to be roommates, we better learn how to share."

_Okay._ That hadn't turned out exactly how he wanted it too, but it worked. _I guess._

Fifield paused and scratched his chin as he thought.

"I don't know. I've never liked sharing. I like being in control of what's mine." At this point, he looked Millburn directly in the eye, and the botanist suddenly felt his stomach twist even more. He wasn't quite sure what the other man was getting at. He wasn't even sure if he liked it or not.

"We'll see about that," he choked out after a moment.

Fifield was silent. Instead of speaking, he leaned in closer to Millburn, maintaining the direct eye contact he couldn't bring himself to break away from. It wasn't until they were mere inches apart that the geologist spoke again.

"We _will_ see."

Millburn's cheek tickled with the sensation of the other man's breath. He thought he could vaguely smell peppermint, but he wasn't quite sure.

_Why'd I even notice that?_

And then he was at a loss for words, and it was all he could do to continue to look Fifield in the eye.

At least until the geologist looked downward, and Millburn felt his cheeks flush.

"Better eat before it gets cold," was all Fifield said as he backed off with the same grin as earlier.

Millburn, now thoroughly confused and anxious, took the opportunity and practically sprinted to his side of the room. He was sure that Fifield was laughing at him mentally, but he didn't care. Or did he? He didn't know.

Frowning, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his own belongings. There was one thing he had to set straight with Fifield, though.

"Hey!" he called out softly.

"Yeah?"

"Just don't touch the plant." He tried to be firm, but he couldn't help frowning in disappointment as he heard the geologist burst out in laughter.

"Out of _all_ the things you gotta worry about me with, it's not the damn plant. Trust me."

Millburn didn't even bother responding. Instead he sighed and opened the food container.

This was going to be a long trip.


End file.
